First Post and Several Questions

[Pinecone]

13 hours ago, jkgyr52 said:

Yes he uses digital scales and follows the method outlined in the POH.

 

How often are the calibrated?

Digital does not mean more accurate, it just means they give the wrong number to more precision.

 

[KLRDMD]

3 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Did they ever build one with a reliable a Lycoming engine?

I have owned many different airplanes over the years with many different engines and I have to say the Continental IO-550 is probably the best engine I've owned. It is much smoother and runs better LOP than a big-bore Lycoming. I have never replaced a single cylinder on any engine I've owned. Maybe I just treat them right.

In a six-cylinder, give me a Continental. In a four-cylinder, give me a Lycoming.

[MichMooney201]

12 hours ago, PrairieFlyer said:

Thanks again everyone. As I have more questions I’ll make sure to add them to the thread. 
 

My question on the gear doors was answered by Carusoam. 

 

Planning a 300NM cross country tomorrow with a 10kn headwind. 2Hrs 56 minutes with the Cherokee, with a generic J I pulled off ForeFlight 2Hrs 08 minutes, and 4.3 gallons less fuel! 

and there you have in a nutshell why we fly Mooneys...they are slippery suckers...

[Guest]

6 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

I have owned many different airplanes over the years with many different engines and I have to say the Continental IO-550 is probably the best engine I've owned. It is much smoother and runs better LOP than a big-bore Lycoming. I have never replaced a single cylinder on any engine I've owned. Maybe I just treat them right.

In a six-cylinder, give me a Continental. In a four-cylinder, give me a Lycoming.

Clearly your ownership experience differs from my maintenance experience.  I’ve replaced more 550 series cylinders due to cracks than any other type.  They’re also famous for sticking piston rings across the fleet, turbo, NA, Cessna, Beech, Mooney and Cirrus airframes with just as many pilot types.

The only Continental that doesn’t give me issues is the GTSIO 520L in a 421, which is supposed to be a problem child.

[KLRDMD]

4 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Clearly your ownership experience differs from my maintenance experience.  I’ve replaced more 550 series cylinders due to cracks than any other type.  They’re also famous for sticking piston rings across the fleet, turbo, NA, Cessna, Beech, Mooney and Cirrus airframes with just as many pilot types.

The only Continental that doesn’t give me issues is the GTSIO 520L in a 421, which is supposed to be a problem child.

The biggest maintenance item I've done on a Continental 550 was to replace the started adapter on one.

[EricJ]

14 minutes ago, KLRDMD said:

The biggest maintenance item I've done on a Continental 550 was to replace the started adapter on one.

I think you tend to not own airplanes long enough to experience the maintenance cycles that most do.

[KLRDMD]

12 hours ago, EricJ said:

I think you tend to not own airplanes long enough to experience the maintenance cycles that most do.

I don't understand this. I've owned airplanes for 20 years and 2,500 hours. What's magical about owning the same airplane versus a number of them with respect to maintenance? If anything, I would expect to not see as many maintenance events by owning just one airplane.

[ilovecornfields]

15 minutes ago, KLRDMD said:

I don't understand this. I've owned airplanes for 20 years and 2,500 hours. What's magical about owning the same airplane versus a number of them with respect to maintenance? If anything, I would expect to not see as many maintenance events by owning just one airplane.

What the difference between raising ten kids from 8-12 and two kids from birth to 18?

[amillet]

40 years vs 36? 
I raised 5 kid from birth to ?  That’s a lot of years 

[ilovecornfields]

45 minutes ago, amillet said:

40 years vs 36? 
I raised 5 kid from birth to ?  That’s a lot of years 

I guess my poorly made point was that the total number of years isn’t the same as the developmental changes that occur over the life of an engine (or child). Owning a bunch of mid-time engines for a short time interval vs. owning a few engines from new to overhaul may result in different maintenance patterns and the discrepancy between @KLRDMD and @M20Doc’s experiences.

If you observed a bunch of children from 8–12 years and generalized their behavior to be representative of children over the entire lifespan you would be likely to come to inaccurate conclusions.

[KLRDMD]

1 hour ago, ilovecornfields said:

I guess my poorly made point was that the total number of years isn’t the same as the developmental changes that occur over the life of an engine (or child). Owning a bunch of mid-time engines for a short time interval vs. owning a few engines from new to overhaul may result in different maintenance patterns and the discrepancy between @KLRDMD and @M20Doc’s experiences.

If you observed a bunch of children from 8–12 years and generalized their behavior to be representative of children over the entire lifespan you would be likely to come to inaccurate conclusions.

Except the engines in my airplanes have run the gamut. I've had small four-cylinder Lycomings to large six-cylinder Continentals. Normally aspirated, turbo normalized, and turbocharged. Fixed wastegates, manual wastegates, automatic wastegates. I've had airplanes that were 4 years old and 60+ years old. Singles and twins. Engines that were freshly overhauled and those well over TBO.

Your 8-12 y/o children comparison is entirely irrelevant and inaccurate.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, KLRDMD said:

I don't understand this. I've owned airplanes for 20 years and 2,500 hours. What's magical about owning the same airplane versus a number of them with respect to maintenance? If anything, I would expect to not see as many maintenance events by owning just one airplane.

You can spend all the money you have on the best maintenance by the best maintainer, but if the product is crappy it makes no difference. 

I'd like to think I do a pretty good job maintaining my client airplanes, but I have no control over cracked cylinder heads or stuck rings, and I don't think the owner/ pilot does either.  Crappy Continetal engines are just that, crappy.

[ilovecornfields]

1 hour ago, KLRDMD said:

Except the engines in my airplanes have run the gamut. I've had small four-cylinder Lycomings to large six-cylinder Continentals. Normally aspirated, turbo normalized, and turbocharged. Fixed wastegates, manual wastegates, automatic wastegates. I've had airplanes that were 4 years old and 60+ years old. Singles and twins. Engines that were freshly overhauled and those well over TBO.

Your 8-12 y/o children comparison is entirely irrelevant and inaccurate.

How many engines have you overhauled?

[Schllc]

51 minutes ago, M20Doc said:

You can spend all the money you have on the best maintenance by the best maintainer, but if the product is crappy it makes no difference. 

I'd like to think I do a pretty good job maintaining my client airplanes, but I have no control over cracked cylinder heads or stuck rings, and I don't think the owner/ pilot does either.  Crappy Continetal engines are just that, crappy.

What I struggle with regarding this argument is the same thing about people’s health. 
entirely too many permutations to conclusively say “this” is “the” reason. 
Here is a devils advocate question…

Could it be that lycoming engines are perhaps more tolerant of mismanagement than continentals?  
In all honesty, I don’t expect an answer, because I am not arguing with you at all. 
you have forgotten more planes and hours than I will ever see. 

But all of my experience has been with turbo and NA 550’s and I’ve never had any cylinders or engine problems at all either. I am also good friends with several of the people who bought my old airplanes and speak regularly. My first, an ovation had 1100 hours when I got it and I put 350 hours on it, the buyer has put an additional 900 on it since buying from me and he is still on the factory cylinders and engine.
They manage their engines the same way I shared I did, (Mike buschs method LOP) and none of them have had issues either. It’s a small sample for sure but…

My point is that there are a lot of factors that go into this judgment that are relevant, albeit difficult to quantify. 

[carusoam]

Between C & L…

1) No engine manufacturer in particular is error, or problem free…

2) Camshafts

3) Crankshafts

4) Cam gear

5) Aluminum gear in the oil pump

6) Small diameter exhaust valve

7) Valve assembly alignment

8) Oil cooler leaks 

9) Cracked cylinders…

Things that come to mind…

 

Imagine having all of the oil drain out of your new airplane in flight… then landing on a golf course.

What do you say for that….  Fooooooore! Mind if I play through???
 

Are the turbines any better?

 

Best regards,

-a-

[KLRDMD]

37 minutes ago, ilovecornfields said:

How many engines have you overhauled?

One